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Sunday, 11 December 2011

AUTHOR INTERVIEW - PEGGY WEBB

l.
What is your name and where do you live?

I am Peggy Webb, and I live in a lovely
little writer’s cottage tucked among my flower gardens in the northeast corner
of Mississippi.
I was born here, grew up here and can’t imagine living anywhere else. I’ve had
a long and wonderful career as a writer, and I am so grateful to the readers
who made it possible.

2.
Do you have or would you ever take a pseudonym?

Although I’ve written romance, women’s
fiction and mysteries under my real name for more than twenty-six years, I took
the pen name Anna Michaels to write The
Tender Mercy of Roses, my first work of literary fiction, published in May,
2011 by Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Books.

3.
What are your favorite books that you’ve written, and why?

That’s a good question, but it’s almost
like asking, “Which is your favorite child!”
I’ve had almost 70 books published in a very long career, but a few of
them do stand out to me for various reasons. Driving Me Crazy, published by Harlequin’s NEXT imprint, is one of
my favorites as well as a reader favorite. It combined my trademark humor with
the very poignant story of two women taking care of their feisty, aging mother.
Much of this book was autobiographical. I had just lost my own mother, and it
was cathartic to capture her amazing spirit on the page and share it with
readers. Of my early romances, my favorites are Touched by Angels and the sequel, A Prince for Jenny, as well as the three time travels books (Christmas in Time, Only Yesterday, and Night of the Dragon) and the five books in my Donovans of the Delta Series. I love the characters, and all these
books always make me laugh and cry.

The Southern Cousins Mysteries are fun to
write because I enjoy speaking in the voice of Elvis, the basset hound who
thinks he’s the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. What a hoot!

Writing The
Tender Mercy of Roses was the high
point of my career. I tapped into a deep well of
creativity that I didn’t even know I had. And I absolutely LOVE the major
female protagonist. Keep reading to find out why.

4.
Who is your favorite character you’ve created?

I have two favorites, Elvis, the sassy,
sleuthing basset hound in the Southern
Cousins Mysteries, and Pony Jones in The
Tender Mercy of Roses. Elvis always makes me laugh, and I have such fun
digging up little-known facts about the iconic Elvis Presley and letting my
basset hound brag about them.

Pony Jones, who became the heroine of The Tender Mercy of Roses, burst into my
dreams talking a mile a minute. Telling the story partially through her voice
was an incredible experience for me.
She’s wise and funny, determined and vulnerable, heart-breaking and
memorable.

5.
What makes a good book?

Two things: great characters and a story
with lots of heart. A good plot is
certainly important, but unless the writer can engage the reader with
compelling characters, the story will be less than stellar and easily
forgotten.

6.
Do you write any books that are part of a series?

I’m so glad you asked! Of course, my latest mystery, Elvis and the Tropical Double Trouble, is
part of the Southern Cousins Mystery Series.
There are currently four books in the series with more to come.

Only
Yesterday, a classic time travel romance that takes
the heroine back to World War II, is the sequel to Christmas in Time, the novella that takes the heroine back to the
Titanic. (See the review.)

The poignant romance, A Prince for Jenny, the story of a special woman struggling to have
the things ordinary women take for granted, is the sequel to Touched by Angels, which portrays Jenny
as a stubborn, determined and endearing special child.

By the time you read this, my classic Donovans of the Delta series should be
available in digital format, just in time for the holidays. Originally published
by Loveswept, these books were considered the definitive family series. They’re
coming back to readers with wonderful new covers but the same sassy characters
in the same stories that will make you laugh and make you cry, Look for Donovan’s Angel, Sleepless Nights, Hallie’s
Destiny, Any Thursday, and Higher
than Eagles.

The
McGill Series, a three-book set of classic romances
will be available in digital format sometime next year, possibly by summer. Two
of these characters were introduced in The
Donovans of the Delta series.

7.
What’s next for you?

Currently, I’m finishing the fifth Southern
Cousins Mystery and getting ready to write the second literary fiction novel as
Anna Michaels. I continue to get the
romance classics in my Loveswept backlist ready for readers in digital format.

8.
Any advice for aspiring writers?

Read, read, read! Write what you love and
only if you love writing. Write because
you are compelled to tell stories and you can’t imagine ever doing anything
else. Good luck!

About Me

Hi, My name is Sandra, though for my blog I go by an adaptation of my middle name, Jeanz! I live in the UK, started blogging in Aug 2011. I have always loved books!. If a blurb catches my eye I will usually give reading it a go!

About me & my reviews

As of January 2017 all opinions expressed on this blog my own. I do not receive any cash payment for my reviews. I read because we all love reading! Also I no longer use links on my blog through the Amazon Associates Program.